The BC Coroners Service has announced it will hold a public inquest into the death of a woman who died following an incident while she was in the custody of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) in December 2013.

Lucia Vega Jimenez was a Mexican national who died at Mount St Joseph Hospital in Vancouver. Ms. Vega Jimenez had been taken to hospital the morning of Dec. 20, 2013, after she was discovered hanging in a shower stall at the Immigration Holding Centre at Vancouver International Airport. She did not regain consciousness and was removed from life support with family present on Dec. 28, 2013.

An inquest is a formal process that allows for public presentation of evidence relating to a death.

During the inquest, presiding coroner Margaret Janzen and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding the death. An inquest jury may not, by law, make any findings of fault or legal responsibility; however, it will have the opportunity to make recommendations related to the evidence presented.

The inquest is scheduled to begin on Sept. 29, 2014, at the Coroner's Court in Burnaby.

Event Date: Beginning Sept. 29, 2014
Time: 9 a.m.
Place: Burnaby Coroners Court, 20th floor, MetroTower II, Metrotown, 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby

Media Contact:

Barbara McLintock
Coroner, Strategic Programs
BC Coroners Service
250 356-9253 (office)
250 213-5020 (cell)